Isolated adult pluripotent stem cells and methods for isolating and cultivating thereof

摘要

This invention relates to isolated pluripotent adult stem cells which are obtained from exocrine glandular tissue as well as methods of isolating and culturing these pluripotent stem cells.

主权项

1. A method of producing adult pluripotent stem cells from mammalian exocrine glandular tissue, wherein said exocrine glandular tissue is isolated from a salivary gland, lacrimal gland, sudoriferous gland or sebaceous gland, and wherein said pluripotent adult stem cells are—after culturing under spatial conditions which ensure three-dimensional contact of the cells—capable of differentiating into cell types of all three germ layers in a culture medium that does not contain any additional growth factors or differentiation factors, the method comprising the following steps:
the exocrine glandular tissue is mechanically and enzymatically divided in such a manner that the cell structures in the resulting tissue fragments are largely preserved; the divided tissue is cultured in an adherent culture; the adherent cells persisting in the culture are further cultured and nonadherent differentiated cells are separated by a change of medium; and adult pluripotent stem cells are obtained from the culture.